Memento Mori
by MeteorOnAMoonlessNight
Summary: She has spent her entire existence searching for the one who calls to her from within his mind. Pushing him into accepting her only sends them on a path to destruction. When the townspeople come for her, even her abilities are no match for the sunlight that sears her skin. Chained and weakened, with her execution looming, there is only one person who can save her. TFN & TFFA Winner
1. Prologue

**Hi, guys, and happy almost Halloween! This is a story that has been bugging me for a few months now, and I finally managed to finish it in time to post. The inspiration is, not surprisingly, from music. If you've never heard Meg Meyers, she does an excellent psychotic ex-girlfriend in Desire and Monster. The other main artist that gave me the bunnies is In This Moment. Maria Brink can scream with the best of them, and her songs Big Bad Wolf and Burn sealed the deal for where I wanted to take this. I have a YouTube playlist compiled that I listened to while writing. If you're interested, you can search for Lara Norman and give the songs a listen.**

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 **This is not horror, as I am a scaredy-cat that can't handle watching or reading horror, much less writing it. This is a vampire Bella hell-bent on changing human Edward to bind him to her for all eternity. Since he's not on board with that plan, she stalks him and drinks from him as often as she can. It's hopefully creepy and thriller in genre, but not too bad for those like me that don't like true horror. This is set in the general time period of the sixteen hundreds, but you'll have to grant me suspension of belief for most of this. It shouldn't be hard, since we're talking immortal creatures and all. ;)**

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 **The chapters are relatively short (in fact, this A/N may be longer than the prologue), and there are 11 in total. Posting is once a day until Halloween, so I understand if you want to wait until it's complete.**

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 **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of S. Meyer. The original plot is the only thing that belongs to me. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Credit goes to my ladies: kimmie45, starsmina, and NKubie. Coppertopj has been sick and wasn't able to help. :(**

 **The link to my facebook group is on my profile, and my blog is MeteorOnAMoonlessNight. blogspot. com, if you like pictures to go with your stories.**

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The wall of flames was rising higher, so high that he couldn't see over the tops of them any longer. Their intense heat was scorching his face; his eyeballs felt like they were melting into his sockets. The searing agony was beginning to make it clear that escape was not in his future; what little future he had left. He wanted to give up, to go back to the cold, damp cell he came from. It would be better than the heat. _Anything_ would be better than the flames licking at his shoes and singeing his fingertips, even the death he'd fought against, shied away from, hidden from. He would welcome a quick death now, if only it was offered to him.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. He'd made every effort to ensure it wouldn't go so horribly wrong, but he'd waited too long to make the right decisions for the both of them. Because of his cowardice, he hadn't been able to save Isabella, and now he was going to perish as well. Futilely, he wished he could turn back time and take her up on her first offer. It might have had painful consequences, but he didn't believe it could have been any worse than the situation he was currently finding himself in. He couldn't know that at the time, of course, but she had tried so hard to warn him, and he hadn't listened.

As the burning consumed him, he mentally cried out for _her_. She would hear him; she'd heard everything and tried to explain. He regretted his ignorance. He regretted a lot of things just then, but most especially his willful ignorance. Fear and confusion had caused him to deny the pleas of the gorgeous woman. She'd been mysterious and too beautiful to be human. She'd told him tales of her life that made no sense. She'd frightened him, he could admit it. She was terrifying in her bloodthirstiness, in her need for him above all other things. Nothing affected her quite the way he did, she'd said. She'd tried to be gentle, according to her, but it wasn't in her nature. Death and destruction were all she knew. Those attributes had been the downfall of them all, and even a monster could admit that.

He hadn't had the strength to go against the others, and now he was paying the ultimate price. There was nothing else to do for it but give up. If he closed his eyes, he could see Isabella one last time; her sable hair swirling over her shoulders, seeming to move even while she was still. Her skin was porcelain, a luminescent ivory that lacked the offset of blue veins. In his vision, her eyes were focused on him, steady and strong.

And burning in the flames.


	2. Chapter 1

Every day for the past twenty-two years, she'd heard the thoughts in his mind. From baby babblings to the thoughts of a grown man helping his father provide for the family, it had all been there inside her mind, too. She knew he lived in a place with misty forests and perpetual rain, but he had no name for the location beyond the town of Forks. Isabella had never heard of such a place, and neither had any of the vampires she encountered on her search for her soulmate.

She'd looked for him for five years, ten months, fifteen days, three hours, nine minutes, and fifty seconds. She'd impatiently ticked off each second as it passed, anger rising within her like a tidal wave as he became more and more elusive. A dream mate, perhaps, not a real being. But that couldn't be, because she _felt_ him. She heard his thoughts and experienced his heartbeat and saw his family through his eyes. She didn't even know what he looked like, since he was not the vain type to stare into a piece of glass at his own warped reflection. She felt that he was inherently good, too good for her, but that didn't stop her from searching for him. She was compelled by a bond stronger than any she felt for even her coven members.

She'd been a vampire for centuries. Young by some standards, she nonetheless had learned plenty in her time. She had almost covered all of the continents in her search for her mate, had mapped the world in her mind. She swam many oceans, ran through desert storms with enough sand to choke a human, stood immobile in torrential rain and howling winds. She'd traversed the dark winter landscapes of the frozen north, and she had fed on every breed of animal and human in existence.

As she moved through a snowy village the natives referred to as Sheet'ká, she felt like she was nearer to her mate. The pull was greater there, as though she would stumble across him at any moment. For the first time, her extra senses were doing her a service as she followed the link between her and the mystery man. Her thirst flamed higher, and she devoured a man fishing without even batting a lash. She left streaks of blood behind as she threw his limp body in the direction of the hole he'd made in the ice.

Strength flowed through her as she ran faster in the direction of the tether attached to the ache that had formed behind her ribs. She could feel him. He was near.

oOo

At twenty-two, Edward Masen had no bigger goals than working the land for his father. He was responsible for keeping the property from going under now that Edward Sr. had taken ill. His ma had passed three summers ago, and he had no other siblings. Being a landowner meant several young ladies in the village wanted to be his bride, but he wasn't interested in them. Several men were jealous of him, but he didn't pay them any mind, either. Wasn't his fault his family had a plot of land they'd kept well over the years while others squandered what they earned and disrespected what they owned.

He wasn't like others, he knew. He was steady and dependable, as unlikely to shirk his duties as to run naked through the middle of town. His father taught him to grow what he could and sell it for a fair profit, while his mother taught him compassion and how to keep the house. He and his father had taken it real hard when Elizabeth fell ill and succumbed to the cough that wracked her thin frame. Nothing had been the same for the Masen men since then. And having to watch his father weaken from a mysterious illness with no outward signs was enough to send Edward into early mourning.

It rained the day his pa passed away. He dug the grave at the back of the property under his mother's favorite tree, the very one she was buried under. Raindrops fell in a steady rhythm off the brim of his hat as he worked without ceasing until the chore was done. When it was deep enough, he went back to the house and the pine box he'd built that morning, fixing a set of straps around it that enabled him to pull it along behind him until he could set it on the cart they used for selling wares in town. Emotion threatened to clog his throat as he worked, but he clamped down on it with ruthless efficiency until his task was complete.

He waited until the rain subsided the next day before he went into town to inform the preacher of the death in the family. He then went to the mayor's office so the transfer of property could be completed. He would soon own the land he had been born and raised on, but he would also be alone. He had no way of knowing that everything he'd worked toward would soon be in danger from multiple sources.


	3. Chapter 2

She knew she'd found him when she caught his scent. Her nostrils flared, as did her thirst. Her coven leader had warned her that her mate was likely her blood singer, judging by her intense need to find him. She longed to feed, to satiate the burn raging in her throat. Her hand went up to cup her neck as she moved silently forward, hearing with a new clarity the banal words he was thinking. Everything had previously sounded like it was coming through a radio station just out of range—she could make out what he thought, but it was fraught with static. As she moved in his direction, his inner voice was clear as a bell. He was harvesting something, worried about the profit to be made, and pondering the offer made by a Jacob Black.

It seemed that his farm was on sought-after land, made more irresistible by the fertility the soil offered. His sire had passed recently, and he was alone on the working farm. Those in town were couching offers in friendly terms, but he knew they wanted to oust him and take what he owned for a song. She found herself fascinated by the way his mind worked, as he realized what they were after and was hell bent on refusing. He wanted to keep his inheritance in his family, though he hadn't accepted any offers of marriage to produce an heir.

She hid behind a tree as she watched him, and she smelled the rotting flesh that rested mere feet below where she stood. It was a pity she'd missed the passing of his father; she might have been able to assist. Compassion was not in her nature, but it would have bound Edward to her greatly. He would have been compelled to allow her to make the change necessary to keep him with her for all eternity. Changing him would douse the flame that rose in her throat as she thought of the scent of his blood. It pumped through his veins at a fast clip as he toiled in the sun. She could almost picture it, could certainly hear it, and the aroma was enough to send her to her knees. She crouched, twin desires of the flesh warring within. One was for the frenzy of feeding from his blood, the other was for the frenzy of mating with her one true love.

Without conscious thought, she moved up behind him, silent as the gentle breeze that ruffled his hair. Only much more deadly.

oOo

He felt a prickling sensation start at the base of his neck. It crept up the back of his skull until it settled on the crown of his head. The wind picked up a bit, blowing his shirt around and breathing on the side of his throat.

There was no time to realize it wasn't the wind on his skin before he was attacked. An agonizing pain stabbed at his jugular and his body went limp as he screamed. He didn't fall, but he couldn't figure out why. He was held up by cold metal rods as his consciousness waned.

When he blinked awake, he was no longer in his field. He tried to sit up, but his head spun and he fell back again. He thought he was in his own bed, but his vision was blurry enough to leave him unsure.

"Lie still," a voice said.

Panic raced through him. He'd collapsed in the field, and now an angel was talking to him. He was dead. He was dead, and he wasn't in heaven with his parents like he'd expected he would be when his time came. He was in hell, or some holding area, or something of that nature. He was in purgatory.

"You are not dead," she said.

Oh, this was bad. He was hearing an angel's voice.

"I assure you, I'm no angel."

He sat up then, realizing she was hearing his thoughts and responding to them as if he'd spoken aloud. "What's going on?"

He saw the red-eyed woman and clutched at his chest as his heart beat as frantically as a galloping horse. The side of his neck blazed like someone was holding a red hot poker to it.

"You are my mate. I drank from you to sate my thirst, but I took too much and you lost consciousness. You'll need to let me change you in order to guarantee your safety."

She said it all so matter-of-factly, but he didn't understand a word of it. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he felt his adrenaline kick up another notch. "I don't understand. How are we mates when I've never met you? What did you drink, and why am I in pain?"

"I could kill you. I most likely will, unless I change you."

"Change me into what? How?" His head was still spinning. He tried to hold it still with both of his hands.

"A vampire, of course. Like me."

He fainted.


	4. Chapter 3

He was alone when he next woke to a darkened sky and frigid room. He rose slowly from his bed feeling weak but no longer dizzy. He made his way into his small kitchen area and cut a hunk of bread from the hard loaf on the counter. He was an abysmal baker, but he'd learned to make do. He leaned heavily on the counter as he tried to reconcile what had happened. He came to the conclusion that he'd dreamed the encounter with the red-eyed woman.

Since it was dark, he had no choice but to occupy himself indoors until the next morning. He lit a candle and scrounged up a book before curling up in bed again. There came an eerie sound, a _scratch, scratch, scratch_ along the side of the house. Edward tensed, gauging the distance to the shotgun he left propped by the door in case of bears. There had been stories of bears crashing through thin cabin walls and death befalling the inhabitants, leaving those in the area wary of the large creatures. When all fell silent, he relaxed back against the pillow and returned his attention to his book.

It came anew, in a different area. He dropped the book to the blanket and stood, moving swiftly to the door. If there was a bear, hopefully it was intent on minding its own business, but Edward preferred to be prepared.

The last thing he expected was the door to fly open, flashes of lightning in the starless sky momentarily illuminating the interior of his one-room home. In the frame of the doorway stood a woman, hair billowing out around her with intense static electricity. She seemed possessed, her scarlet eyes glowing, and Edward feared for his life. She stalked forward, her dress fluttering and her hands raising with clawed fingers. He thought he could reach the shotgun before she could reach him, but he underestimated her otherworldly speed. She grabbed it and bent it right in the middle before he'd really even taken a step.

"You don't remember that I can hear your thoughts?"

Her voice resonated as thunder boomed around them. His body locked down, and he had no response.

"I am no dream. Perhaps a nightmare, but no fluffy-clouded dream. You belong to me. Let me make you one such as me, and you will never know illness. You will never be visited by the kiss of death. You will live with me in eternity."

"Th-that's not what I want!" How could he think to spend his life with her when she frightened him so?

"I have to have you. I need you." She moved closer, inch by inch. "Your blood calls to me from great distances, and I cannot resist."

They moved around the room in a macabre dance. Edward moved away and she circled. He shifted and she followed suit. He had no way out. The wound on his neck throbbed once more, but when he placed a hand there he found no open sore.

"My venom heals you. It can change you. You can be my immortal."

"No," he choked out on a whisper. "No!" he shouted more forcefully.

"Yes," she hissed as she drew ever nearer. There was nothing to be done for her thirst but to sate it. "If you let me change you I will never hurt you again. It's your human blood that calls to me, the heart beating in your chest. If you join me in eternal life it will no longer be a living organ."

"You're just going to do what you want no matter what I wish!" He was trembling, his gut clenched in fear. She was going to kill him, and there had been so many things he wanted to accomplish in his life.

"You can accomplish all of your desires and more as a vampire. You put too much stock in the idea of life and death, when I offer you the world." She stopped directly in front of him then and he froze. She heard his heart as it beat faster and faster, racing toward a pinnacle only she understood. She rested her palm on his chest over the pumping blood. "If I change you against your will, you will leave me. I need you. You are my mate."

"You said that before and it makes no sense. People don't have mates." He squeezed his eyes closed as she leaned in. Her scent was enticing, but had an aroma he couldn't place.

"Vampires do." She licked the side of his neck and he whimpered. "You can have me, you know. I promise not to break you if you want to consummate this thing between us."

He was in terror, and she spoke of love making. Arousal was the last thing on his mind. "Do what you will, and then leave me alone!"

"I cannot leave you alone."

When she bit him again, she wrenched his head to the side for better access. His cry of anguish couldn't stop her, even knowing she was hurting her mate. The frenzy of the bloodlust overrode all else. She drank, and drank some more, even when his consciousness waned and she saw his thoughts flicker into those of a blank world.

When his body gave out she let up, licking the wound closed and savoring the last few drops of blood on her tongue. His heart moved sluggishly now, and she spread him out on top of his quilt to rest. She would have to let his body restore itself or she would be forced to change him against his will. She wanted him bound to her forever, not loathing and resenting her forever.

She would convince him, she was certain of it. She simply had to wear down his resistance.


	5. Chapter 4

When next he woke, it was almost a repeat of the night before. He was disoriented and thought he'd had a strange dream. The difference was that the sun was shining and someone was banging on his door.

He stumbled his way over and threw it open. He was met with the face of Jacob Black. "Why are you here this early?

The other man snorted. "Early? 'Tis mid-morning. Are you just out of bed?"

"I had a rough night." Edward rubbed his hands over his face in an attempt to wake up.

"You haven't taken to drinking, have you?" Jacob looked closely at him, inspecting him for bloodshot eyes. If he was drinking, maybe it would be even easier to obtain the property he coveted than he'd initially thought.

"No." Edward glared at Jacob, who he knew wanted his land desperately. "Why are you here?"

"To ask if you've reconsidered my offer. Surely the money is more valuable than the land you'll have to work alone."

"It's been in my family for generations, Black. I'm not interested in giving it up. I've told you and anyone else that's asked, and yet you all keep bothering me."

"Just think—" Jacob stopped speaking. There were marks on Masen's neck. "What is that?" he asked as he pointed at the angry black dots that carried crimson streaks away from them like an infection.

"It's none of your business." Edward put his hand up to cover the spot the vampire drank from the night before.

"It's my business if I think you're unfit to operate a farm. I'll get you declared incompetent and then I'll have your land for pennies. What kind of cult are you involved in, Masen?"

"I knew you were faking the charm, Black. Get off my property. I'll greet you with my shotgun the next time you come knocking, so you might as well stay gone." He shut the door in Jacob's face but could hear him shouting from the other side of the wall.

"Just you wait! I'll be back with the mayor and a judge, and I'll have you in the looney bin before the week is done!"

Edward sighed and rested his forehead on the wood-slat wall. Once he could no longer hear the man he went outside to use the outhouse before returning to gather something suitable for breakfast. He was in more trouble now and he didn't even know how it had come about. All he wanted was to live a quiet life, and instead, he was surrounded by difficulty. He wondered where the succubus was at this time of the day. He knew next to nothing about them, always considering them myths, but he was fairly certain they couldn't come out in the daylight.

He went out to the field after breaking his fast but he tired easily. He felt lethargic, like he was coming down with an ailment. He didn't clear nearly as much of the land as he'd planned in order to keep on track. He went in at the sun's zenith and fell face first onto his bed. He was utterly exhausted.

He realized he must have fallen asleep when he jolted at the sound of the door opening. He wanted to run as far as he could, or, at the very least, have the chance to use his only weapon, but it was broken now and he was too fearful to move.

He watched her come inside in slow, deliberate movements. "You couldn't run from me even if you tried. I'm faster."

She appeared by his bed to prove her point. She'd moved so fast he didn't even register it. He cowered against the wall, hoping she wouldn't hurt him this time.

"I told you that the only way to prevent me from hurting you is to let me make you a vampire."

"I don't want to be like you! I thought I made that clear. Why won't you leave me be?" His body had gone feverish with the agony of anticipation.

"I can't. You and your blood calls to me irresistibly. I can smell you and taste you even when I'm far away. I crave you day and night."

She ran a fingernail over his cheek and he trembled, knowing she would soon bite him. "You left me alone all day today. You can just do whatever kept you occupied and leave me be."

"It's the sun. I can't go out in the sun without weakening severely. It causes burns that take days to heal. After I drink from you I have to leave you to let you recuperate and make more blood. I run as far as I can to avoid coming back and attacking you. Once the sun comes out, I must hide in the shadows."

She had moved on to caressing him with a fingertip. "Why me?" he choked out.

She leaned so close he smelled her breath as she exhaled on his neck. "I've told you. You are what I crave. You are my singer."

She bit down and he cried out, trying to claw at the steel arms that held him to her. It was useless. She was made of stone, an impenetrable granite that he was helpless to do anything about. The torpidness came over him in great waves, blanketing his mind until everything went dark. His very last thought was that she was going to kill him.

Isabella wasn't trying to kill him, but she knew she would before much longer. Her choices were to change him against his will—risking him running off once he was reborn, which would cause her to chase him for the rest of eternity—or to drink him dry. As he stopped struggling, she lowered him to the mattress and left him to recover. She'd never bothered to think twice about taking a life.


	6. Chapter 5

The pounding was back. Edward couldn't decide if it was in his head or on the door. He cracked an eye and looked around, squinting in the bright light. It was such an insistent sound that it made him want to slam his head against the wall to drown it out, but he figured that wouldn't help. Instead, he got out of bed and answered the door.

"Why are you at my door for the second day in a row?"

Jacob looked closely at Masen. He'd seen corpses with more color. "I know you're up to something. You look like you're dying. Did you catch what your daddy had?"

Jacob had dark, slicked back hair that his family was known for, hence their surname. He was deeply tanned from working outdoors all day, like most of the men in the town. He was taller than Edward but had terrible posture that kept him hunched over. Edward despised him.

"I'm feeling under the weather, but I am _not_ dying." Edward automatically put his hand up to cover the new bites, but it was too late.

"In a new spot, huh? You got the pox? Nah, that's not what that looks like. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a . . . _No_!"

"What?" Edward was leery of the expression on Black's face. It was clear that something had just occurred to him that wasn't going to be good for Edward.

"A vampire! There's only been one spotted in the area in anyone's recollection, but we've all heard the warnings and know the tell-tale signs. You got one plaguing you now, don't ya?" He slapped his hand on his thigh. "Just wait 'til I tell the others!"

Jacob ran off like someone lit a fire under his ass. With effort, Edward shook his head and went out to start his day. His head was heavier than a cannonball and he struggled to keep it upright. Every movement was a huge undertaking. He found the place where he'd left his plow the day before and tried to bend over to pick it up. When he saw the ground coming up to him quickly, he knew he'd come to the time when he was going to die. Helpless to avoid it, he collapsed in the middle of the field with his face in the dirt.

oOo

Isabella couldn't wait much longer. Edward would have to make a decision because it was inevitable that she was going to kill him. She found herself inching closer to his home before the sun had gone down, despite the inherent dangers.

The last thing she expected was to be ambushed. She was so focused on getting to Edward before the sun went down that she didn't hear them coming. She was lassoed and dragged into the sun before she could register their intentions. She cursed herself for being so distracted by Edward's every thought and pump of blood that she allowed herself to be caught. She hissed and struggled, running away from the mob with the rope. There were so many of them, but she was stronger and faster.

Or she would have been if not for the sun's voracious rays beating down on her otherwise impenetrable skin. When it blistered and peeled, she screamed and wailed. The men laughed, circling her and taunting her. They threw heavy chains on her body and jeered, calling her vile names. She struggled to fight, to use her abilities to survive. She threw the chains from her shoulders and they pulled layers of skin with them. She had never experienced such excruciating agony in all her years, not even when she was turned.

Lunging at the nearest man, she had his neck snapped in an instant. She went on a rampage, draining and killing three more men before the sun was simply too much for her body to bear. She fell to the ground and someone kicked her in the stomach. She hoped they broke their toes.

"You blood sucking leech! We're going to roast you alive as a proper send off to hell!"

The man screeching at her seemed more unhinged than she. Isabella managed to swipe at him and cut through his arm with her clawed fingernails. He screamed louder than any banshee she'd ever come across, but her amusement was short lived. There was a real possibility they were going to kill her. She was dragged through the bushes kicking and screaming until they reached the center of town. She moaned at the pain of the sun shining happily upon her. She was spat on, had her clothing torn, and rotting waste thrown at her. She was strapped into the pillory where they left her to burn. She tried to search out Edward's mind for the soothing balm his thoughts typically brought on, but all she saw was darkness.

When dusk fell, Isabella was so weak she couldn't lift her head. Any area of her skin that had not been covered by her ripped clothing was scorched, and the movement of the person releasing her had her crying out hoarsely.

"If ya had a soul, I still wouldn't be prayin' for ya."

The man chained her heavily and dumped her in a cart. They traversed an ever-darkening path until she realized that there was some sort of dungeon beneath the town. The man dumped her out on the floor and closed the iron-barred door behind himself. She couldn't believe that she was reduced to nothing in such a way. No strength, no abilities, no one to fear her; just loathing emanating from within her.

She made a vow as she thought of Edward and what might become of him. If she ever made it out, she would kill every last one of the townspeople, and then she would flee with him.


	7. Chapter 6

Edward woke to darkness. He assumed he was dead, and he didn't like the looks of the afterlife. He was cold, for one thing. He didn't see his farm, or anything else, for that matter. There were no angels, no clouds, but also no demons. He sat up tentatively and discovered his head throbbed like no other. He couldn't seem to catch his bearings from his position, so he moved to all fours until he was positive he could straighten without keeling over.

The earth beneath his palms was damp and had an unpleasant smell. There were trees, so he could deduce that it was not his field. The moon was a full orange globe in the sky, so low and close that one could imagine touching it. He heard a sound behind him and stood fully. A rustling in the branches of a thornbush had him on alert, though there was nothing to defend himself with. A rabbit emerged, and he breathed a sigh of relief. The bird of prey that cawed sent both Edward and the hare scurrying.

With his heart settled uncomfortably in his throat, Edward began to walk. He normally had a decent sense of direction, but everything he thought he knew was skewed. Using the harvest moon as his guide, he trekked home. 'Twas a long walk, filled with the eerie sounds of the forest at night. He knew there was more to be afraid of than bears now and his body remained tense as he awaited the attack from the vampire woman.

When at last he arrived, he gauged it had been at least an hour that had passed. The house was lit from within, smoke curling from the chimney that sat in the kitchen. Edward frowned, knowing he had not left any candles or fires lit. He went to the door and attempted to turn the knob, only to find it locked securely. He heard voices; a man's and a woman's. He knocked on his own door, wondering if the night could grow any stranger.

Jacob Black opened the door, a bottle of amber liquid in one hand and a woman under his opposite arm. She was not dressed appropriately, and Edward averted his gaze. "Black, what in the devil are you doing in my home?"

Jacob stared at him malevolently. "Sorry, you must be confused. This is my house."

The woman giggled and ran her hands over Black's chest. His shirt was partially opened and covered in stains.

Edward's brow furrowed heavily. "You're in my house and you know it, Black. Get out."

"Or what? I don't know you, and I have a deed with my name on it. Don't make me shoot you and have to claim I was defending my property."

"What is the meaning of this? Of course you know me, you've been trying to get my land since before Pa died! _Get out_!"

Edward tried to force his way past his enemy and the groping woman, but Jacob barred the way and slammed the door in his face.

Edward howled in anger and beat his fists on the door. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

The next time the door opened a very long firearm was pointed in his face. He put his hands up without a second thought and took a step back. Gone was the female companion and any semblance of pretense from Jacob Black. "Get the fuck away from the house, Masen. You lost the fight. It's mine. Why don't you go cry to your devil woman."

Edward retreated several steps into the yard as the door was slammed once more. He had no house and had no idea where Isabella had gone. She would have been of great help to him just then. His throat no longer ached, and as he felt along the skin, all of the bite marks had healed. He didn't feel one hundred percent himself, mostly because he was hungry, but he no longer felt like he was on the verge of death. He supposed the amount of sleep he'd gotten had allowed his body to restore his blood to an acceptable level. It was odd, but he found he missed Isabella appearing out of nowhere and begging him to be with her.

He wandered, drifting slowly in the direction of the center of town. He didn't know where to go. He needed a roof over his head and a source of income. He would visit the mayor the minute the sun came up, but in the meantime he had to figure out where to sleep for the night, assuming he could fall back asleep. There was an inn, but he had no money on his person. There was the alley between the jail and the baker's, where one man slept already. Sometimes the man found scraps of bread that had been thrown out before they were moldy. It was the best he could hope for currently, which he knew was a sad state of affairs. He thought of his mother and father and all the promises he'd made to them. He was failing them, but he was powerless to do anything about his failings at the moment.


	8. Chapter 7

There were more voices inside Isabella's head than she was used to. It seemed she could hear everyone within the town. There were thoughts of breakfast and baths, getting to work in the fields or the town. Only one voice caught her attention—that of Edward. She felt that he was nearby, the bond between them aching behind her ribcage. She tried to reach out to him with her mind, but she was uncertain if such a thing were possible. He was in an alley, searching for food. It gave her the most unpleasant feeling; one of caring what happened to him more than what happened to her. She had thought the mate bond consisted of bloodlust and lust of the flesh, not endearing feelings of devotion.

She was weak. She hated to admit it because she'd always been the strong one. As far back as she could remember, since her human memories were fuzzy, she'd been feral and fierce. She had not heeded the words of her creator when he cautioned against feeding on humans and turning into a nomad. She had chosen her own path, knowing one day she would focus solely on her mate. Her skin was on the mend, but she hadn't fed since the damage had been done, making it a slow process. She was starving, she knew. The blood that should have been there to repair her body was used up with simply trying to survive in the sunlight. Her consolation was that the next fool to come and see her would find her fake compliance to be deadly—for them.

oOo

Edward woke hungry. He was tired of living his life from one blackout to the next, without even the enjoyment of drink in between. He couldn't remember when he'd last eaten or what day it was. He felt some sort of gnawing pain in his breastbone, and he rubbed at it subconsciously. He needed food. The baker recognized him when he stepped into the shop; they'd done plenty of business together over the years.

"Morning, Mr. Masen."

"Morning, Tyler." Edward scrubbed at his filthy face. "Mr. Black has thrown me out of my house without any money. Might you have some crust or scraps I could have?"

Tyler frowned. He'd heard rumblings of Masen being sick. He looked a little worse for wear, but not insane as they'd claimed. "I have some fresh loaves cooling. I can give you one at no charge, as a friend."

Edward sighed in relief. "Thank you, Tyler. Bless you and your wife."

Tyler let him wash up in the basin in the kitchen before handing him sliced bread on a wooden platter. There was butter and honey as well, a veritable feast for one as hungry as he. He thanked Tyler profusely once more before tucking into the food while he sat at the large worktable.

He pondered what to do next as he chewed the toothsome bread. Finding Isabella was maybe not a wise choice if he wanted to live. Likely, he could get a job in town and live in the men's quarters above the general store. It was a viable option, but his skill set revolved around farming.

Tyler came into the kitchen wringing his hands on his apron. "Is it true what they've said?"

Edward swallowed as he looked up at him. "Is what true?"

"Well, Black and Newton say you were declared incompetent because you had a vampire in your house and she made you crazy like her."

"I'm not crazy," Edward said slowly. No wonder he had been dumped in the middle of the forest. "I was a tad sick and collapsed in my field. When next I woke I found myself abandoned in the middle of nowhere. I made the long walk back home last night to find Black in my house with a gun pointed at me."

"And the . . . _vampire_?" Tyler whispered. His eyes were round and fearful, as though saying the word could conjure one.

Edward sighed. "I saw one, yes."

"I heard they captured her and put her in the dungeons," Tyler said.

"Vampires can't be caught." Edward laughed and took another bite, the honey a sweet and floral note on the tip of his tongue.

"They pulled her into the sun where she burned up." Tyler became more animated as he retold the story he'd heard. "She was screaming and weakening fast, but she killed Uley, Lahote, Brady, and old Mr. Newton. Cut Michael's arm nearly clean off. They don't know if he'll make it."

Edward stood and stared at Tyler. "And the vampire?"

"She's in the cells below the jail from what I hear tell."

Edward stuffed the remaining bread in his pocket and clapped Tyler on the shoulder. "Thank you for the information, and the food."

"What are you going to do? Tarnation, I shoulda known you was crazy!"

Edward ignored the shouts and headed out the door and toward the jail. He wasn't even sure why, but he knew he had to save her.


	9. Chapter 8

As she lay there within the echoing walls, the voices crowded in her head. There was a vampire she was familiar with that gained new powers after suffering great trauma. Isabella wasn't quite pleased with the new talent she'd acquired, since she couldn't silence the constant noise.

"Get the fuck out of my head!" she screamed.

It was no use. It wasn't like they could hear her anyway. She wanted to go back home. She wanted to see her coven, and she wanted to bring Edward with her. She was miserable for the first time in her existence and there was nothing she could do about it.

She heard the outer door open. The subsequent footfalls were familiar, the cadence on the stones those of her beloved. She heard his thoughts, though she wished for them to be silent. She didn't want him to try to save her because she knew he would suffer. She didn't want him to be in pain, and that was all she could see coming for them both. If he came into the cell, she would drain him dry. She didn't see any way around it. If he died, she would gladly let them burn her at the stake as they so joyfully planned. She couldn't live in a world where Edward didn't exist in some form, even if he remained human for the rest of his days.

The steps grew closer. She lifted her head and tried to look at him, but the sight of him so whole and beautiful in front of her was painful. "You must go," she said harshly.

He halted in his tracks. "Why?" He'd expected her relief, not her wrath.

"I'll attack you if you enter this cell; I won't be able to stop myself."

"Why haven't you escaped? I thought you were fast and strong." He moved closer to the iron bars, enough that he could see her. She was laden with heavy chains, curled into the corner of the dank cell.

"I have been weakened by those imbeciles that wanted your land. They came at me all at once and I was unprepared. I killed several of them, but the sun is too much for me to fight against." She shifted and the chains clanked.

"What are their plans? The baker says they wish to burn you at the stake, but nobody has done that here in decades." He peered more closely at her. She looked haggard, almost human.

"That is the only true way to destroy a vampire. They can weaken me in the sunlight and turn my body sluggish with a lack of blood, but the only way to stop me is to burn me." Her voice had taken on a feral quality, growling and spitting as she struggled against the chains. The scent of his blood filled her entire being until she raged with the hunger that consumed her. She'd gone from resembling a weak human to a crazed vampire in an instant.

"Isabella?" Edward was frightened again, feeling like he had when she was feeding off of him. His fight or flight instincts kicked in, but he didn't know which to choose.

"If you don't leave, I _will_ find a way to break that lock and drink from you."

"I have to help you. I can't let them destroy you."

She pleaded with him with her eyes, knowing there was no way he could survive her imminent attack.

He remained.

"If what you need to escape is my blood, then come and take it. You can have it—I won't hate you for it."

" _No_."

They were interrupted by the sound of others. They had come to collect Isabella and tie her to the stake. It was staged in the middle of the town so everyone could watch.

Edward didn't think, he just acted. He thrust his arm through the bars, crying out when she moved with blinding speed and bit his ulnar artery. Voices and colors swarmed around him as he faded in and out. He was aware of the screaming as Isabella broke loose. The blood returned her strength, and she used it to run as fast and as far as she could from the town full of evil people.

"You're going to pay for that, Masen," was all he heard before he was shoved into the cell to lay in the damp cold where Isabella had previously been kept.


	10. Chapter 9

Edward wasn't positive how he'd gotten himself stuck in the cell the vampire had been locked in as though he was some criminal. It didn't escape his notice that in his mind he was referring to her as 'the vampire' again. He should have known she'd save herself and leave him to his own pathetic fate. It was in her nature, really, and he couldn't even fault her for it. It irked him, he couldn't deny that, but he knew she couldn't help herself. It was like the feeding frenzy that she couldn't stop even with great effort.

They came for him. He was marched through the tunnel leading out to a gloomy day that matched his countenance. He was booed and labeled a vampire lover, a fool that allowed a vampire to drink from him, and a degenerate. His body ached, his head pounded, and he began to feel hot before he ever made it to the dais with the stake. The crowd blurred in front of him and he couldn't make out anyone's faces.

As he was led up the short set of steps, he began to feel his skin crawl. He scratched furiously, the chains binding his wrists clanging together and making his efforts more difficult. His reach wasn't as good as he would have liked. His shoulders twitched, his fingers cramped, and his toes began to curl. His heart was beating faster than should have been possible as he was forced to stand in front of the wooden pike that was to be his pyre. He was tied securely to the stake, around his feet and waist, his bound hands in front of him as his shoulders were tied as well. His vision faded and then blacked out entirely.

Someone laughed, he wasn't sure who, as the kindling at his feet was lit. The flames caught slowly and built from there. He prayed. He knew he was going to die a slow and painful death, and all he could do was pray that it would go quickly instead. His head was filled with a rushing noise, followed by screaming. He thought maybe it was him screaming as the flames consumed him, or maybe the women in the crowd were horrified by his burning flesh. The wall of flames was rising higher, so high that he couldn't see over the tops of them any longer. Their intense heat was scorching his face; his eyeballs felt like they were melting into his sockets. The searing agony was beginning to make it clear that escape was not in his future, what little future he had left. He wanted to give up, to go back to the cold, damp cell he came from. It would be better than the heat. _Anything_ would be better than the flames licking at his shoes and singeing his fingertips.

As the burning consumed him, he mentally cried out for _her_. He knew she would be able to hear him from wherever she was, but he also knew it was futile. She was terrifying in her bloodthirstiness, in her need for him above all other things. Death and destruction were all she knew. Those attributes had been the downfall of them all, and even a monster could admit that.

He hadn't had the strength to go against the others, and now he was paying the ultimate price. There was nothing else to do for it but give up. If he closed his eyes, he could see Isabella one last time; her sable hair swirling over her shoulders, seeming to move even while she was still. Her skin was porcelain, a luminescent ivory that lacked the offset of blue veins. In his vision, her eyes were focused on him, steady and strong.

The screams drew closer, louder. He recognized Isabella's voice, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He wanted to dream of her, of them together in some faraway place where nobody could touch them ever again. His face felt numb as his hair melted to his skin and he thought he felt cold palms on his chest over his heart that beat like hummingbird wings. His brain was too fogged over to make sense of what was happening; maybe he was hallucinating. Her voice sounded softly in his head, telling him to hang on for a little while longer.

"Isabella?"

He imagined her face, white skin and dark circles under bright red eyes.

"Am I dead?" he asked.

"No, Edward. You're undead."


	11. Chapter 10

"I only ran to avoid killing you." Edward and Isabella sat together on the edge of the charred dais.

"You came back for me?"

She smiled, and he no longer found it frightening. He could see every fine pore on her angel's face. "I knew biting you and leaving would start the process of changing you into a vampire. I didn't mean to be gone long enough for them to tie you to the stake."

"What was the screaming?"

"I killed anyone who tried to stop me." She smoothed his hair away from his forehead. "You must be thirsty."

His hand went to his throat. There was a dry burn in his esophagus. "How will I . . . drink?"

When she smiled that time, it was pure evil. "It'll come naturally, I promise. Perhaps Jacob Black as an appetizer?"

Edward realized the idea had merit. "You mustn't let me kill the baker and his wife. He gave me food when I was starving and homeless."

Isabella rested a palm on his cheek. She no longer felt cold against his skin, but he noticed the angry burns on her wrist. "Isabella?"

She pulled her sleeve down to cover her hand. "I couldn't very well let you burn alive, now could I?"

He leaned forward and touched her lips with his. The bond between them seemed to throb. "The blazing fire in my throat is the only thing preventing me from figuring out what this feeling is between us."

She stood, fluidly and rapidly. "Let me show you the all-you-can-eat buffet."

He flashed a quick grin. He felt invincible. Following his mate to the dungeon, he noticed the town was empty and silent. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I collected them for you. They're all locked up down here, except those that got in my way."

"Oh."

"You were on fire, Edward. Your feet, your hands, and your clothing. I had to run and retreat several times in order to untie you without going up in flames myself. Some of them tried to get in my way." She shrugged. "I needed extra blood to heal from the burns anyway. I locked them up and sat with you while you transformed."

As they went lower, the smells changed from damp earth to rusty blood. It _smelled_ warm. He never knew that was possible. It rushed through their bodies frantically and he was amazed that he could hear it. He licked his lips.

"The women and children are in the church. They'll all be widowed before the day is done. Hopefully they can rebuild a society that is better than this one." She ran her fingernails along the stone walls, laughing at the screeching sound it made. The men in the cells shifted uneasily. "Who here goes by the name of Tyler?"

There was a commotion as someone pushed and shoved the baker to the front, assuming he was to be first. The man stood with his head held high, his hands clutching the iron bars.

"I'm Tyler." He looked at his friend, seeing crimson eyes and pale, dead skin. He shuddered.

Isabella narrowed her eyes lethally at the pusher. Once she was satisfied he'd wet himself, she turned to the baker. "You may join your wife and any offspring she has begotten you. They're hiding in the church, so don't let your approach scare them to death. I suppose you are in charge of everything now. Huzzah."

She pulled on the lock until it crumbled and the door creaked open. Tyler stood very still.

"Go on, he's vouched for you. Don't give me a reason to change my mind."

He scurried past them, his eyes darting around to the other men. He swallowed past the huge lump in his throat and thanked God he'd been spared.

"Shall we begin?" Isabella asked Edward.

He grinned, not realizing that he looked as demonic as she. "Yes, let's."

The echoes of terror-filled screaming followed Tyler as he ran as fast as he could toward the sanctuary of the church. His was a tale not soon forgotten.

 _ **The End**_

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 **Thank you to Kimmie45, starsmina, and NKubie for helping me out with this.**

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 **Thank you for reading! I don't have any plans to expand this, but I never say never. It depends solely on what's talking to me. Just ask anyone still waiting for the Ex Delicto sequel.**

 **I'm fiddling with a Christmas one-shot that is tentatively titled Naughty or Nice. I don't have a solid idea of when it'll post, just that it will appear in December. You'll have to watch my FB group for info on that- link is on my profile.**

 _ **Depressed over thinking she'll be fired before the holidays, Bella decides to get drunk at the company party. Woken by Rose texting her to look at Facebook posts from the night before, she realizes exactly how drunk she got-and it's bad. She and Santa were very naughty, but the worst comes when Bella realizes exactly who was playing Santa.**_

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 **My reworked fanfic Jack and Crush was published this month! You can find it in the Amazon store by searching my name, Lara Norman, and/or Jack and Crush. I have an author page on FB that is linked on my profile. I post other books as well as some different pictures and funny stuff. Much love to all of you that have already purchased it.**


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